U.S. PRISONERS OF WAR OFFER KIND AIDTO VICTIMS OF SASAGO
TRAIN ACCIDENT

Deeply impressed by the kindness
and sympathy shown by former American prisoners of war in the
recent train accident which occurred at Sasago Station on the
Chuo (Central) Line on September 6, Transportation Minister Naoto
Kobiyama has decided to express his heartfelt personal thanks
to those concerned by presenting them with gifts of appreciation,
according to the Asahi [newspaper].

Immediately after the accident
a train arrived at Sasago Station carrying 80 American prisoners
of war on their way from Chino to Yokohama. [Note:
These were the men from Niigata POW Camp under command of Canadian
Squadron Leader Leonard
Birchall, "The Savior of Ceylon."]
While the Japanese railway employees at Sasago Station made frantic
efforts lest the transportation of those internees be in any
way delayed on account of the accident, the internees themselves
upon hearing of the circumstances voluntarily offered to lend
a helping hand.

At once, every one of them descended
from the train and started to give medical care to the wounded
passengers, using whatever medical supplies they had on hand.
Others opened tins of preserved foodstuffs which had been distributed
to them, and gave the contents to the wounded to eat.

They
also offered their own woolen blankets and even helped to fix
up emergency bedsteads.

Even after restoration of traffic
at Sasago Station, every time a train carrying war prisoners
passed, supplies of canned foodstuffs, woolen blankets, clothing,
overcoats, and other articles have been thrown out of the train
windows as gifts to the wounded from the American internees.

Meanwhile, a report has been received
from the Railway Central Bureau at Kofu, which has jurisdiction
over Sasago Station, expressing the desire of all those concerned
to convey their feelings of gratitude to the internees. Transportation
Minister Kobiyama, upon hearing this, at once ascertained whether
those internees had sailed yet or not and took all necessary
measures in order to send them wine, a famed product of Kofu,
as a token of appreciation.